well, i have been pretty silent on the blog the past two weeks, but lots has been going on around here!

1. the top level of my home has looked like it’s under custruction. i decided to redo my office (at not the wisest time to be fair) and it has consumed our household. (ie husband not happy)

2. i went to colombia (yes, as in south america). i shot a beautiful wedding. i ate 234 empanadas. i went to carnaval. i sat in a van for 5 hrs on a ride that was supposed to be 1.5 (“colombian time”). i canoed through mangroves. i danced till my feet hurt. i stayed up late laughing so hard with my “roomates” that the whole trip was like one big sleepover. 5 days later i am still wrapping my brain around it.

3. my birthday is this weekend and i will officially leave my 20’s and join the rest of my friends as i turn 30. which leads me to the main point of this blog post…

i have had this blog post somewhere in the back of my brain for quite awhile. in fact, i’m pretty sure i’ve had it in my brain since 2010. when turning 30, i’ve realized most people either a)hate it and pretend it’s not happening or b)celebrate like any other- no big deal. i get asked if i’m dreading my 30th, or i get this “sad” look from people like they feel sorry for me. but the absolute truth is… i feel completely excited and honored to be turning 30. sure it is kind of a strange feeling to not be in my 20’s anymore. but the fact that i got to live another year with my loved ones is something to celebrate. do you know how many people would do anything, absolutely anything, for one more year on this earth? one more month their family? one more day with their spouse and children? everyone knows someone who has left us way too soon. i personally know a few who would have given everything they had… just to make it to 30. i know people who would have loved to make it to 60….to be able to watch their grandchildren grow up, to be able to spend another christmas with the family. they would have taken all the wrinkles in the world for one more day. so to me, being anything other than happy and honored to be given this life for another year would be a complete disservice, not only to their life, but to this life we are fortunate enough to have been granted.

i guess my point is, growing older is a privilige and most certainly not guaranteed. i think we should all treat our birthdays as a gift we have been given. by God, by Buddha, by muhammad, by those weird crystal rocks that apparently give postive energy. it doesn’t matter what you believe, it is a gift all the same. i sure as hell am thankful that i am here. why i am here and others are not is way beyond my level of comprehension. but as long as i’m here, you can bet i am going to do everything in my power to appreciate it. 30. 40. 70… they are all gifts.

i’m sure as i get older, and my smiles get wrinkles and body parts start sagging like jello, i will have to make more of an effort to remind myself of this. i will remember that each one of those smile wrinkles is in honor of a loved one who is no longer here. they will be in honor of all those people who didn’t get the chance to even have smile wrinkles. and i will always remind myself of how lucky i am to be growing up.

so happy 30th birthday to me. bring it on. :)